Kiyaj Valley
The Kiyaj Valley is a region centered on the river basin of the River Kiyaj and populated primarily by the Liealb people. It is situated north of the Galas sea and south of the Kotthorns with the valley reaching from the city of Triad in the north to the ancient city of Thearak as the mouth of the river in the south. It is separated from the region of Duroc by a spur of the Kotthorns in the west, and borders the tropical jungles of the Kingdom of Kilar in the east. Geography and Climate The Kiyaj Valley, as the name suggests, constitutes the flood plain and the geopolitical region surrounding the Kiyaj river. It constitutes the ancient cradle of Liealban civilization, and is separated by the Kotthorns from the Had, with the sole path north across the mountains being through the pass of Triad north-east of the eponymous city, near the old Kothari bastion of Athas. Soils in the region are black and fertile from the sediment of the river and the run-off from the mineral rich mountains, and are renewed regularly by the flooding River Kiyaj during the summer snowmelt. Underneath the voluminous silt deposits rests a foundation of clay, before reaching sedimentary bedrock. Granitic rocks however can be found in the hillier regions, along with modest mineral deposits. Climactically the region is primarily subtropical, with regular rainfall in winter and heavy rain in the summer from a regular monsoon. The Kotthorns serve as such as a rain-trap, preventing the moisture of the Nakalani from penetrating into the had valley and causing the heaviest and most regular rainfall to occur in the mountains and in the foothills of the Kotthorns. Summers are mild compared to the desert temperatures of the had, and winters are likewise warm Flora and Fauna The Flora of the Kiyaj valley is classified into several floristic zones depending on elevation, and localized conditions. This, together with the fertility of the land and the high rainfall and proximity to tropical rainforests and the savannah's of the Yensai basin results in high biodiversity, as species from these zones can be found in the same region in addition to the endemic subtropical flora. The first floristic zone, and the most widespread is the subtropical forests. In this floristic zone can be found rare woods such as teak and ebony, in addition to tamarinds, figs, almonds and other fruit bearing trees. These support populations of monkeys and numerous parrots and hornbills. Insects, reptiles, birds, and small mammals are numerous in the forests, and support in their turn lions and other big cats. Larger herbivores include One-Horned Rhinoceri, wild-cattle and forest elephants. The second floristic zone constitutes conifer and deciduous broadleaf forests at higher elevations. Pine, cedar, oaks magnolias and rhododendrons are common, along with an abundance of wild-flowers. Mountain sheep, snow leopards and oryx can be seen here. The mountain forests also are known for their diversity of colourful pheasants, which are popular with noble huntsmen. The third main floristic zone are the floodplains of the Kiyaj itself. Here subtropical grassland and swamps are found with papyrus, sedges, water-lilies and various aquatic plants being common, along with wildflower meadows in the areas less prone to regular flooding. This zone, in many places heavily modified by farming, supports a large population of waterbirds, in addition to larger mammals such as rhinoceri, deer and their various predators. Crocodiles can be found basking on the river banks preying upon the numerous wildlife along with the numerous fish within the Kiyaj itself. History The fertility of the valley served to make the Kiyaj river one of the cradles of early civilization, with the indigenous liealb people establishing the Empire of Thearak along its banks during the dawn of recorded history. The Empire established the foundations of the eponymous city of Thearak, in addition to the Holy City of Opios, the city of Khead and the city of Triad making these some of the oldest settlements in the world. It was here, that the religion of the Church of Iralliam was founded by the Prophet Kleo, who was buried at Opios, a religion which would spread to all the Liealb and to many nations besides including the Uggor of Krato and Moti, and the Hiu'ut. This Empire would rule the region for over a thousand years. In time however the Empire of Thearak was conquered by the converted Uggor of the Empire of Krato, after a long period of on and off warfare precipitated by Thearakean conflicts with the people of Duroc. Thus the uggor came by the 25th year of the Seshweay reckoning to control the entirety of the Kiyaj valley. By the year 150 SR however Liealb city states had pushed back Kratoan control (although they maintained control over Opios and the greater whole of the region) with the states of Isara and Piatrata gaining independence. Although by the year 200 SR Kratos had reconquered these states, it was not to last and Kratoan control had collapsed by the year 280 SR resulting in the emergence of numerous independent city states including Opios and ocassionaly triad, which was oft squabbled over between the Kothari Exatai, and the Holy Moti Empire, the Emperor of which in the year 301 was declared by the Grand-Patriarch, Emperor over the collapsed Kratoan clans. Regardless, would over the next 200 years the independent Liealb city states would be whittled away until the region was divided between the rule of the Holy Moti Empire, the Kingdom of Kilar, a large Liealb Kingdom from the eastern jungles with a strong Zyesh influence and the Grand-Patriarch of the Church of Iralliam who reigned from Opios and was effectively autonomous despite the city formally being part of the Empire. This state of affairs would remain stable over the next two hundred and twenty years until the Empire, as a consequence of a war with the forces of the Karapeshai Exatai and the Vithanama Empire collapsed into civil war in dispute over whether to accept a peace with the Karapeshai amongst many other underlying causes. This resulted in Imperial authority disintegrating throughout the Kiyaj valley by the year 630 SR, with the Kingdom of Kilar proceeding to claim protectorate over the southern half of the valley with the blessing of the Grand-Patriarch while in the North the Kothari Exatai claimed Triad on the way to assisting the Ayasi against the Vithanama Emperor, Sartores. Opios de-facto became completely independent of outside authority during this period with the Church assuming territorial rule over the city and its immediate vicinity, in addition to establishing outposts of governance in many areas across the valley in the interests of instituting order. In time however the Karapeshai Exatai, which had during the Moti Empires internal troubles allied with the Empire under the Redeemer Talephas, came into conflict with the Kothari Exatai in the north of the valley over the city of Triad, with war later erupting with the Holy Moti Empire, the Church, the Kingdom of Kilar and the Farubaida o Caroha as well due to the assassination of Talephas. This resulted in a Karapeshai army striking south to Khead, where it battled the armies of the Church and Kilar, defeating them, slaying the Kilari King and sacking the city, before they struck south to Opios which was spared the ravages of conflict (indeed the city had never before come so close to the ravages of war) by a pursuing Kothari army which annihilated the relatively small Karapeshai host before it could do anything but set up for a siege of the city. Economy The economy of the Kiyaj valley is primarily agricultural, with vast quantities of rice, wheat, vegetables, cotton and fruits being grown in the fertile soil of the river valley. Water buffalo are maintained in lower elevations, while In higher elevations sheep and cattle are raised, being fed on the alpine meadows of the Kotthorns in the summer before descending to lower elevations in winter. The Kiyaj river supports a vibrant river fishery. Timber collecting is practiced, with wood being traded with the Hiu'ut and the Satar in the arid Had valley, with marble and iron travelling the traverse route across the Triad pass. Fabrics are produced in a weaving industry in the large cities, while Papyrus is made from the numerous reeds growing along the banks of the Kiyaj and in the associated marshes. The city of Opios also supports a small and emerging glassmaking industry constituted from uggor refugees fleeing from the sacking of the city of Gaci in the late early seventh century SR. One major aspect of the local economy however that cannot be neglected is the flow of pilgrims to Opios to the sacred sites of that city, including the tomb of the prophet and the Great Temple-Basilica of the Grand Patriarch raised in the fourth century SR. These pilgrims bring gold and trade to the city, supporting a thriving industry in religious artifacts, moneylending (usually conducted through approved Church channels) and hospitality, with Opios being filled with hostels and places of refreshment. These pilgrims also serve as the primary source of the Grand-Patriarchates funding thanks to their donations to the Church. Population The region of heavily populated, with the number of people living in the area not to be counted in the thousands, but the millions. As to the people of the Kiyaj valley, they are overwhelmingly Liealb in origin, with the people speaking various dialects of Vernacular Liealbi, with those closest to the Yensai and in the north often having Uggor influences in their vocabulary while the purest language is to be found in the south around Thearak, and in western Kilar. Uggor communities along with smaller communities of Kothari Satar, Hiuttu and Bysrians can be found in the larger cities, including the Holy City of Opios and the trading hub of Triad. The Old thearakean language, the ancestor of the vernacular liealb languages, remains in use in the liturgical worship of the Church and as a scholarly tongue in the region, with some educated merchants using it as a lingua franca in to converse with merchants from afar, although the Moti language is usually used when engaging in trade with merchants from the Empire. The largest city in the region is Opios, which alone has over a hundred thousand souls, increased in the seventh century SR by refugees from the sack of Khead and the general warfare that plagued that era. The ancient capital of the old Empire, Thearak, remains a populous city and serves as the seaport for Opios, being the gate by which traders and pilgrims from the south enter the region while Triad in the north is likewise a large city, serving as the key trading hub at the crossroads of the trade routes north-west into the old moti lands and into the Sesh beyond, north-east into the had valley, south-west to Krato and the Yensai basin and due south to Opios, Kilar and Jipha. Culturally the region is well known as a stronghold for the Church of Iralliam, with religious devotion being central to the lives of the people. The omnipresence of the Church, while providing a cosmopolitan flavor to the culture of Opios thanks to the large expatriate community and the ever-present pilgrim masses, also serves as a nexus for the preservation and cultivation of Liealb culture and learning, ensuring that over the centuries the region remains its distinct identity, language and traditions. Category:Geography